Nine local school projects approved by state

School construction and repair projects in Avon, West Bridgewater and elsewhere in the region were among 83 such applications that moved closer to receiving state funding Wednesday.

The Butler Elementary School in Avon and the MacDonald Elementary School in West Bridgewater were among the projects that moved up the wish list as the Massachusetts School Building Authority develops plans to spend $2.5 billion on local school projects in the next five years.

The school building authority voted Wednesday to move the 83 projects to feasibility studies or repair assessments — one of the first steps toward funding under the school building assistance program.

Frieswyk said the funds, if given final approval later in the process, are slated for boiler replacement at the Butler Elementary School as well as redesigning the school parking lot.

West Bridgewater Superintendent Patricia Oakley said the funding will be used for a roofing project at the Rose L. MacDonald Elementary School.

Oakley said that a few years ago a feasibility study had been done and it was found that “for a number of years, no roof work had been done on the schools for a while.”

Oakley said each year a different school roof is being addressed until they are all completed.

But other towns, such as East Bridgewater, did not receive MSBA funding in the first round this year.

For more than two years, school officials in East Bridgewater have been preparing for school building projects, with the key project being the construction of a new high school.

Over the years, the 50-year-old school has had problems ranging from flooding to issues with electrical, plumbing and heating systems. The New England Association of School and Colleges has also placed the school on “warning” status for Community Resources for Learning, which relates to the structure of the building.

“I'm very disappointed,” said East Bridgewater Superintendent Margaret Strojny. “We were really vigilant. The only thing I can say is we need to investigate further what to do.”

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who chairs the authority, warned local school districts that further approvals will be needed.

''It doesn't mean yes or no definitely,'' Cahill said.

The 83 schools were deemed the neediest among the applicants to date. Officials from 162 school districts submitted 423 proposals to the authority.

A state-imposed moratorium on school building assistance resulted in a backlog of school construction proposals seeking state funding.